Chelsea are locked in a contract row over teenager Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
The Blues have been accused of breaking an agreement with agent Joseph Donkor, who is taking his case to an FA tribunal in a bid to win £1.3million in unpaid fees from the player, his parents and the club.
Loftus-Cheek, 17, is one of the hottest young talents in English football. But the size of the contract Chelsea have promised the teenager is astonishing.
They were willing to ensure Loftus-Cheek gained millionaire status before his 20th birthday in a deal that had to be personally ratified by owner Roman Abramovich.
Without even breaking into the first team, Loftus-Cheek would bank more than £1.7m. His basic salary over the two-and-half years of his deal was worth £912,000. Chelsea also agreed to pay him a signing-on fee of £375,000, in three instalments, while three loyalty bonuses would have totalled a further £350,000.
Donkor, the agent, was scheduled to be paid £1million by Chelsea for arranging the contract.
The other £300,000 in his claim is down to his commission on the player’s contract, a potential boot sponsorship deal and legal fees plus interest.
Before signing his first pro contract, Loftus-Cheek was attracting interest from Manchester United, Manchester City and Barcelona.
Donkor, a FIFA-licensed agent, claims Loftus-Cheek reneged on their agreement in March 2012, after being told by the player’s father that he should have also demanded a house from the club.
A Chelsea spokesman said: “The FA rules contain strict confidentiality obligations and prohibit the club or any other party under the jurisdiction of the FA from commenting on arbitration issues.”
Now read how football agents are going to war over an 'illegal approach' for the Chelsea teenage star.
wtf is this world coming too? kids earning millions before they even hit 20, chelsea absolutely sicken me